Porsche Project - Opinions needed

[Drallimer]

I would need some opinions on a Porsche Project.  My project consists of developing the best Porsche tune to race online for each class/track combination.  I love Porsches (been driving them in real life for 15 years) and I obviously want to drive them in FM2

I separated the tracks in 3 categories (based on a thread I found here). The track categories are Speed, Flowing and Twisty.  I want to start with S,A,B,C,D, classes, so that gives me 15 build to start with, which is manageable.  Out of those 15 builds I will develop a tune for each class/track combo overtime which I will share.

Now, here is the question...which car should I pick???

Here is my current thinking for the selection:


Speed   
S   911 GT3 RS (997)
A   911 GT2 (1982)
B   911 Turbo 3.3
C   911 Carrera RS
D   914/6

Flowing   
S   Cayman S
A   Boxster S
B   944T
C   914/6
D   914/6

Twisty
S   Cayman S
A   911 GT3 (997)
B   Boxster S
C   944T
D   914/6


Note that I am looking for the best Porsche for online racing and I am not "religious" about anything (i.e. AWD or RWD for example) except to stick to realistic set-ups.

Being fairly new to FM2, I would greatly appreciate informed opinions on these choices so that I put my efforts in the right place to start with. The only thing not debatable is my Class D choices


Thanks,




Drallimer

[fndrbndr]

The 914/6 will probably be your best choice on twisty tracks.  IIRC, it dominated when we were shaking down the Tiny Terror Classics.

[Spiny Anteater]

Nice project but be warned that if you get sucked into it you'll go out and buy FM3 which launches late October so might run out of time.

From what I've seen while racing online, fndr is absolutely right about the 914/6. You're also on the right lines with the Cayman, although for some reason it seems to upgrade better than the Boxster (I'm not sure that Forza models the extra body flex of a cabrio but there are times when it feels like it).

Sadly I haven't messed extensively with Porsches (as you may have seen many of my car choices have, quite literally, been random) but the '73 Carrera is pretty good in A too (although not Dino or Miura standard). I've also found the 959 to be pretty good in A for the speed tracks, but then again I never got on with the '82 911 so I can't be certain that it will be better.

Good luck with the project though - sounds fun.

[Drallimer]

Thanks for the comments!

As suggested, I am now using the 914/6 in C for Twisty/Flowy tracks.  So far, I use the same build for twisty and flowy and it seems to be not too bad.

I broke down the approach of build the 10 cars (1 Speed, 1 Grip x 5 classes) and trying to reach a time with 98% of the scoreboard for representative test tracks.

I am using the following tracks:

Mugello Short
Mapple Valley Short
Nissan Speedway
Sunset Infield Short

I went with those thinking that if I have a decent set-up for these I can go from there for the rest.  I also went with shorts because it is faster to see the set-up impacts and I have less corners for me to screw up.

Are these the right tracks?




Drall

[Spiny Anteater]

Mugello Short is my 'go-to' track for an initial tune (unless I'm after something track specific) so I'd say that's a good choice. Maple Vally is a good tune for finding a car which is good at holding a line around long corners, so no problems there, although for a good 'flowing track' you may prefer Suzuka East. Sunset Short is probably the best choice you could have made for the power tracks.

As for the Speedway, I'm not sure about this one. Any tune for this track is likely to be good only for there, so unless you're planning to spend a lot of time on the Oval I'd leave this one out. If it was me, I'd look to run a snake track instead so I can see how my car can go in the really twisty tracks. Of all of those, I'd look to use Diamondback or Inland Taipan since they're both c. 1 minute in length and fun to drive too (not to mention that the snakes offer a good chance to get top 1000 times ).

But on the whole I'd say you're looking good.

[feuerdog]

As much as I absolutely love the older 911 GT2, it's not a very good choice for racing with traffic due to it's lack of rear downforce options. It'll scream around a track, but at speed the slightest accidental bump in traffic can run you day.

It may be tight, but you should be able to squeeze one of the other 911's into A class and have it perform well enough for you.

[Hoplee]

The best Porsche for each track is kinda class/track dependent, but here's some pointers from someone who adores them:

The 914/6 is decent for twisty tracks in C & D classes. Anything above those classes and you're better off in a 911.

The 1973 911 Carrera RS is as fast as the Dino or even any other Porsche on just about any track in B & A classes.

The 1982 911T is just as quick in A-Class as the 1973 Carrera RS on twisty tracks. It weighs more, but can fit wider tires.

F-Dog has a good point about other people being able to ruin your day if you're piloting the 911 in traffic, but it must also be said that the 911 has a very distinct advantage off the starting line in most multi-player rooms. It sucks if people hit you, but they have to catch you first!

The other P-cars, such as the Cayman and Boxster, are proven platforms. You can't go wrong in them in A-Class or even B-Class on some tracks... but wouldn't you rather be in a 911?

In S-Class, things start to get silly. I've got a build posted in the FCT garage for a 911 GT2 with a 959 drivetrain swap that's faster off the line than just about anything in the game. It weighs less than a comparable 959 and IIRC can fit wider tires! Skip the Carrera GT, it's just not that good at anything IMHO.

[Drallimer]

Thanks for the input!

This is where I stand at this stage:

Speed  
S   911 997 Turbo - Almost OK, I will try the crazy GT2 with swap here
A   911 GT2 (1982) - replaced with 997 GT3 - almost OK
B   911 Turbo 3.3 - Weak, but I still have some work to do on this one
C   911 Carrera RS - OK
D   914/6 - Weak, I think it will stay weak whatever I do

Twisty/Flowing  
S   Cayman S - Great
A   Boxster S - OK, I am thinking of using something else here since I use the Boxster in B
B   944T - Replaced by Boxster S - Great
C   914/6 - OK on flowing but weak on twisty; I am looking at using the Carrera RS here instead on the twisty tracks
D   914/6 - Great

I also bought a Carerra GT and put all upgrades to it to have an option in U-Class.  I doubt I will ever race it, but for the sake of completion...

My choices are also dependent on tunes I can find to start with, I am not experienced enough to start a tune from scratch.

I added testing on the tracks suggested and dropped speedways for now.  I'll add them later once the rest is taken care of as suggested.

Thanks for the help!


Drallimer

[Hoplee]

My fastest rust bucket on the twisty tracks in B-Class is the 73 RS. It has a slight edge (driver-dependent) on the Dino. It's my first choice for online racing in B-Class on just about anything that isn't a drag race. YMMV

[Drallimer]

Thanks!

I will try the 73RS in B with your tune if you don't mind and I will keep the Boxter in A.  Currently I am trying to lay down a time on every track in every non-racing class with a Porsche.  That means 260 times to do.  At this stage I am just happy to have a lap with no mistakes.  Later on I will start tweaking the tunes to improve the weaker times and also start looking at the race cars; but let's not get ahead of ourselves...

I also mix-in on-line races to train myself and have some fun.  It's coming along slowly but steadily.



Drallimer